1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mount structure for one and another member which are mounted to be relatively movable in direction contacting to or separating from each other.
2. Related Art of the Invention
As such mount structure, there has been provided in prior art an IC socket mounted with an IC package for performing a burn-in test.
As such IC package, there is provided, for example, a BGA (Ball Grid Array) type one, having a structure in which a number of solder balls as spherical terminals are disposed to the lower surface of an IC package body in a grid arrangement having vertical and horizontal rows.
On the other hand, the IC socket is so-called an open-top type one having a socket body to which the IC package is mounted and accommodated, and to which contact pins are disposed so as to be contacted to or separated from terminals of the IC package. Moreover, an operation member for elastically deforming the contact pins so as to be contacted to or separated from the terminals of the IC package is disposed to be vertically movable with respect to the socket body.
FIG. 10 represents a mounting condition of the socket body and the operation member. That is, with reference to FIG. 10, the socket body 1 is formed with engagement portion (i.e., portion to be engaged) 1b at the side surface 1a thereof, and on the other hand, the operation member 2 is provided with an engaging piece 2a extending downward, in an illustrated state, along the side surface 1a of the socket body 1. The engaging piece 2a is formed, at its lower end, with a hook portion 2b, which is engaged with the engagement portion 1b of the socket body 1.
In such conventional mount structure, however, as the engaging piece 2a of the operation member 2 is disposed along the outside of the engagement portion 1b of the socket body 1, an outer diameter L1 of the mount structure becomes large. In addition, in the illustrated structure, the hook portion 2b is engaged with the engagement portion 1b at the uppermost position of the operation member 2, and accordingly, at the other positions during the vertical motion of the operation member 2, the hook portion 2b is not engaged with the engagement portion 1b. In order to avoid such disengaging state from causing during the vertical motion of the operation member 2, another engaging member may be located or a guide member may be further disposed, complicating the structure and being disadvantageous.
An object of the present invention is to therefore eliminate defects or drawbacks encountered in the prior art mentioned above and to provide an improved mount structure having a simple structure suitable for preventing disengagement during relative movement of members even with no specific guide means or like.
This and other objects can be achieved according to the present invention by providing a mount structure for one and another members which are relatively movable in a direction contacting to or separating from each other, wherein the one member is provided with an engaging piece in the form of plate so as to extend along a side surface of the another one member, the engaging piece being formed with an opening window, and the another one member is provided, at a side surface thereof, with a projection which is to be inserted into the opening window formed to the engaging piece of the one member, the opening window having a peripheral edge including a side edge portion extending along the contacting or separating direction, the projection having a side edge portion extending along the contacting or separating direction, and a coming-off prevention mechanism for preventing the engaging piece from coming off from the projection is provided between the side edge portion of the opening window peripheral edge and the side edge portion of the projection.
In a preferred embodiment of this aspect, the coming-off prevention mechanism includes a slide groove formed to the side edge portion of the projection and the side edge portion of the opening window peripheral edge is inserted into the slide groove formed to the side edge portion of the projection when the one and another one members are relatively moved. When the one and another members are relatively moved in the separating direction, one side portion of the peripheral edge of the opening window abuts against the projection and then the relative movement stops and, on the other hand, when the one and another members are relatively moved in the contacting direction, another one side portion of the peripheral edge of the opening window abuts against the projection and then the relative movement stops.
In a specific example, the one member is a socket body of an IC socket and the another one member is an operation member disposed to be movable with respect to the socket body, the socket body being provided with a contact pin which is electrically connected to a terminal of an IC package and when the operation member is moved, the contact pin is elastically deformed so as to be contacted to or separated from the terminal.
That is, in more specific aspect, the present invention provides a mount structure of a socket for an electrical part in which the socket includes a socket body and an operation member mounted to the socket body, wherein the operation member is provided with an elastic piece extending from a side surface of the operation member along a side surface of the socket body, the elastic piece being formed with an opening, and the socket body is provided with a projection projecting from the side surface thereof so as to be inserted into the opening of the elastic piece, the opening having a size in which the projection is movable by a predetermined amount.
The operation member has a rectangular frame structure and the elastic piece extends from each side surface of the rectangular operation member along each side surface of the socket body.
According to the present invention of the characters mentioned above, one member provided with the engaging piece extends along the side surface of the another one member, the engaging piece being formed with an opening window, and another one member being provided, at a side surface thereof, with a projection which is to be inserted into the opening window. The opening window has a peripheral edge including a side edge portion extending along the contacting or separating direction, and the projection has a side edge portion extending along the contacting or separating direction, and a coming-off prevention mechanism for preventing the engaging piece from coming off from the projection is provided between the side edge portion of the opening window peripheral edge and the side edge portion of the projection. Thus, the disengagement of the engaging piece from the projection can be prevented under the proper guidance during the relative movement of the two members, and the outer dimension or size can be made smaller, thus making compact the structure.
Moreover, according to the mount structure of the present invention, when one and another members are relatively moved in the separating direction, one side portion of the peripheral edge of the opening window abuts against the projection and then the relative movement stops and, on the other hand, when the one and another members are relatively moved in the contacting direction, another one side portion of the peripheral edge of the opening window abuts against the projection and then the relative movement stops. Thus, the stroke amounts of both members can be determined in accordance with the sizes of the opening window and the projection with no other specific stopping member or mechanism, thus also making simple the structure.
In the aspect that the present invention is applied to the IC socket, entire structure can be made more compact, thus being advantageous.
The nature and further characteristic features of the present invention will be made more clear from the following descriptions made with reference to the accompanying drawings.